smoky fejoida

Friday night I made a quick, smoky fejoida that exceeded all my expectations. And, it was even better for lunch the next day. I had some roasted pork loin leftovers from earlier in the week, and combined with some shredded smoked turkey I had left over from a Christmas present to Beckey, it turned out to be a tasty combination. Fejoida traditionally has many "meats" in it, including "carne seca"; in this case, bacon, sausage, pork loin, and smoked turkey make a great, full flavored substitute.

Smoky Fejoida
Serves 8
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 65 minutes

2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup smoked bacon ends, or smoked bacon pieces, chopped into 1/2" pieces
1/2 of a polish sausage (polska kielbasa), sliced into 1/2" pieces
1 cup cooked pork loin roast, shredded or chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 cup cooked smoked turkey (breast, leg and/or thigh), chopped into 1/2" pieces

1/2 yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, smashed & rough chopped
1 can (14oz) Muir Glen whole tomatoes
2 30oz cans (60oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1.5 cups chicken stock

1 large sprig (3") fresh thyme
5 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 small sprig fresh Mexican oregano, chopped (about 1-2 tbsp)
2 bay leaves

1 tbsp worcheshire
1 tbsp Tabasco

Spices for the end
2 tbsp. parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

1. In large pot, heat olive oil, and add bacon. Cook over medium-low heat, about 5-7 minutes, to render out fat.
2. Add polish sausage pieces, and cook another 2-3 minutes.
3. Remove meat with slotted spoon, and drain and reserve grease.
4. Leave 1 tbsp of grease in pot, and return heat to medium.
5. Add onion & thyme, saute for 5 minutes
6. Reduce heat to low. Return bacon & sausage to pot.
7. Add rough chopped garlic, pork loin, smoked turkey, and stir to combine.
8. Meanwhile, put can of tomatoes (liquid and all) in blender or food processor, pulse quickly 3 times to crush.
9. Raise heat to medium. Add tomatoes, black beans, chicken stock, spices, chicken stock, and enough water to just cover the mixture. Stir briefly to mix, cover, and heat until it reaches a slow simmer.
10. Once simmering, lower heat to low/medium-low and simmer for at least 60 minutes.
11. After 60 minutes, stir in parsley & minced garlic. Let heat for 5 minutes further.
11. Serve with steamed white rice, collard greens sauteed in butter & garlic, and slices of orange.
12. Let the fejoida cool at room temperature, then store it tightly covered in the fridge for up to 5 days; or freeze it for up to 1 month.

bread troubleshooting

Good resource for troubleshooting issues with bread:

http://allrecipes.com/advice/coll/baking/articles/152P1.asp
http://www.baking911.com/bread/problems.htm
http://www.breadmachinedigest.com/beginners/troubleshooting_chart.html

Thus two problems with grandma's bread from this last time may be resolved:
1. Forgot to add the salt, so the rise was really high!
2. Gumminess probably due to either insufficient cook time or too high temperature at start of baking.

the great zucchini

Went to Brazilian restaurant "Picanha" in Burbank today with some friends, and had a tasty side disk of zucchini, which I normally don't like but was delicious. It consisted of:

zuchinni, sliced into 1/3" rounds (or slightly thicker than 1/4")
red onions, sliced & sauteed
scallions (green parts only)
teriyaki sauce
a bit of oil

Warm, fresh and delicious! Zuchinni was tender but not soggy (still some tooth), red onions were soft and transparent, all rounded out by the nice sweet, salty flavor of the teriyaki sauce. Excellent.

bread results

This year's recipe turned out good flavor, with a couple of comments:

1. Interior of bread was really too moist (although fully cooked), even after cooling down. Need to find some way to deal with this excess moisture. Maybe it means initial dough was too moist? Maybe it means longer cooking time? Maybe some further online research is warranted for dough/bread "troubleshooting".
2. Crust turned nice and black brown.
3. Too much dough for 2 loaves, even with 1/2 quantities. Recommend dividing into 3rds for final shaping & baking. One loave puffed up so high it was almost 2 loaves!

Grandma's bread revisited again

OK, so here's my revised take, reduced quantities for 2 loaves (instead of original version, which is for 4 loaves):

2 c. buttermilk
1.5 c. water
1 lb. + 1/2 lb. rye flour, unsifted (1.5 lb. total)
1 lb. + 1/2 lb. (8 0z) + 1/2 lb. (8 oz) unbleached white flour, unsifted (2 lbs total)

2-1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
1 tbsp. unbleached white flour
1/2 c. warm water (120 degrees)

1/2 c. honey
1/2 tbsp. salt

1. Over medium-low heat, warm buttermilk and water in a pan to 110 degrees (stirring constantly so it doesn't curdle) and remove from heat. Stir in 1 lb. rye flour, cover tightly and leave in warm place overnight. Or, refrigerate and bring back to room temperature before continuing

2. The next day, combine yeast, 1 tbsp. flour, and warm water, and stir to dissolve. Let sit for 5 minutes until yeast mixture gets bubbly.

3. Into dough mixture, add yeast mixture, honey and salt. Stir in remaining 1/2 pound of rye flour, and stir in 1 lb. of white flour until mixture is uniform. Then, split dough in half by weight. Set half of dough aside. It gets split in half because the full amount of dough is too much for the small stand mixer to handle!

4. Take one-half of the dough and add dough to mixer set to "1" or "2" (low speed), and knead with dough hook, gradually adding 1/2 lb. of white flour. You will need to clean the dough hook a number of times at the beginning (every 30 seconds or so). After a couple of minutes, it will stop sticking. Total kneading time should be about 5-7 minutes.

5. Repeat step 4 for the remaining dough.

6. Grease two bread pans with butter, and dust them with rye flour. Shape dough into loaves and place in bread pans. Cover with towel, and leave in warm place to rise for 2 hours or until approximately doubled in bulk.

7. Preheat oven to 425. Place bread pans in oven and bake for 3o minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and bake for 15-20 more minutes.

8. Take bread from oven, remove from pans, and drape with damp cloth while they cool. This supposedly will help keep the crust from separating from the dough.

That's my story, and I'm stickin to it! We'll see how they turn out this year.

UPDATE 12/26/2005:
This year's recipe turned out good flavor, with a couple of comments:

1. Interior of bread was really too moist (although fully cooked), even after cooling down. Need to find some way to deal with this excess moisture. Maybe it means initial dough was too moist? Maybe it means longer cooking time? Maybe some further online research is warranted for dough/bread "troubleshooting".
2. Crust turned nice and black brown.
3. Too much dough for 2 loaves, even with 1/2 quantities. Recommend dividing into 3rds for final shaping & baking. One loave puffed up so high it was almost 2 loaves!

bread in progress

So grandma's bread is in progress. I'm trying to scale the recipe down (from 4 to 2 loaves) because last year, I simply made too much of it. The base is "fermenting" right now; hopefully this year's proportions will make it right. I think this is the 4th or 5th time that I'm making the bread.

I've purposely passed on the Lithuanian black rye recipe (incidentally, the same one online as in the cookbook), in lieu of my grandma's recipe. I know my grandma's recipe works reasonably well, but needs some tweaking to make it right. Last year's was pretty good, as I recall. This means that hopefully this year's will be good as well. I decided to read up on rye flour, in Nancy Silverton's "La Brea Bakery" bread book. Apparently rye flour is tricky: easy to overmix, tends to be wet, not a lot of gluten. A recipe in Julia Child's "Baking" tome got me thinking about the correct proportions for this bread (wheat flour-rye flour-liquid ratio). I need to read up more on "golden ratios" for flour to liquid to yeast. I remember that "The Man Who Ate Everything" had some of this info, which was pretty good, at least in terms of making a batch of starter from scratch. Last year's recipe put rye-to-wheat flour at around 6:12 or 6:13 by weight. I'm going to shoot for a more even ratio this year, closer to 6:7. I hope this will yield something closer to what I'm looking for.

Grandma's Rye Bread part II

OK, so there is a fairly comprehensive web site on Lithuanian cookery at:
http://ausis.gf.vu.lt/eka/food/fcont.html

There is a recipe for black rye bread, similar to my grandma's, at:
http://ausis.gf.vu.lt/eka/food/bread.html

I wonder if this is the same recipe from the cookbook that I used? I wonder how it compares? This might just be the year to find out! I did have some excellent bread in Lithuania (I believe at Cili Kaimas restaurant in Vilnius) which tasted almost exactly like hers: soft, semi-dense but very uniform texture; thin, hard, black crust, delicious!

I do remember that last year, it turned out abysmal when I followed the cookbook recipe.

tis the twisted season

Winter is here again, another year has come and almost gone.

Made pretzels for the first time last night. Beckey's a real pretzel fan, so I figured I would give it a shot.

Here's the recipe I used:

Soft Pretzel Recipe
From: http://www.kitchenproject.com/german/soft_pretzel_recipes1.htm

Servings: 6 large or 12 small

Ingredients:
3 ½ cups of flour
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp. salt (sea salt preferably)
1 tbsp dry yeast, dissolved in the water
1 cup water (120°) fairly warm but not hot.

2 tbsp baking soda mixed with 1 Cup hot water (in a small bowl)

Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. water (in a small bowl)

Directions: Mix water/yeast, brown sugar, and salt in a food processor, or a large mixing bowl. Add flour and mix until dough is smooth. Add more flour if sticky. (If possible let the dough sit overnight in a bowl or plastic container in the refridgerator.)

Divide the dough into 6 or 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope, a bit thicker than a pencil, but not quite as thick as a cigar. Shape into an upside down U shape on your table. Bring the ends together and twist them. Flatten the ends and bring to the top of the pretzel and press in the dough to secure making it look like a pretzel. Place on a greased cookie sheet.

Now let the pretzels rise for 30-45 minutes in a warm place or till about double in size.

Boil 4 cups of water and add 2 tbsp. baking soda. Drop the pretzel in there for about 10 seconds and then lift out with a strainer or pancake turner. Place back on cookie sheet. This will give a nice chewy crust. If you skip this, the crust will be crispier.

Brush with egg wash. This gives the pretzel a nice shiny glaze.

Sprinkle with toppings like
coarse salt (grind rock salt in a coffee grinder); garlic and parmesan cheese; Cinnamon and sugar; or sesame seeds.

Bake in a hot oven 450 degrees (225 degrees C) for 10-12 minutes or until well browned. (Interesting note: Homemade pretzels and soft pretzels are often made much the same way as bagels, by poaching them in boiling water before baking, the difference being that bagels are usually poached in salt water rather than water and baking soda.)

So how did they taste? Pretty good. Nice golden brown crust, nice and soft with a tiny bit of tooth, and the inside was nice and chewy, although a bit more dense than I would like. Several adjustments needed to be made:

1. You may need more than 1 cup water. The dough was not very soft/sticky, and it was clumping together while being mixed. I think a softer dough will yield a softer, chewier pretzel.
2. I don't think the dough rose enough after the knotting.
3. Rolling them out was tricky, because the dough was too dry, I think. I found wetting my hands from a little bowl of water gave me the necessary traction. This may not be necessary if the dough is sufficiently soft.
4. I would try with a slightly longer boil time than 10 seconds, or maybe more baking soda in the water mixture. I was hoping the dough would have a bit more "tart" kick, somehow.

In other baking news, time to go to the store to buy supplies to bake Grandma's bread.

Risotto con carne

Earlier this week, I felt like a hearty meal so I decided to make another risotto, which turned out quite nicely. In the last few months I've made several risottos. The first was with chorizo, the second was with mushrooms/onions/thyme, and this week's was my "risotto con carne", an almost chili-like risotto with hot links, chorizo, and tomatoes. Turned out delicious!

Risotto Con Carne

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, rough chopped
6 oz pork chorizo sausage
1 cup fresh tomato, diced
1 hot link
3/4 cup arborio rice
2 tbsp Emeril's Essence or Wolfgang Puck BBQ pork rub
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped

1/4 cup tequila
1 box chicken stock
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp worcheshire sauce
1 tsp Tabasco

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 scallion, sliced into rings

In a large pot, melt butter and oil over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion until onion is translucent. Remove casing from chorizo. Turn up heat to high, add chorizo and hot link and stir until cooked, about 3 minutes. Add rice & cook for 2 minutes. Start timer (17 minutes). Constantly stirring, add tequila, let rice absorb, then add chicken stock about 1/3 cup at a time, always stirring until rice absorbs liquid. Do this for about 10 minutes.

At 10 minutes, add diced tomato.

At 15 minutes, add Essence, chili powder, paprika, oregano, vinegar, worcheshire, and tabasco. Continue to cook & add liquid for another 2 minutes (you should use up approx. 1/2 box of stock).

Remove from heat, and stir in 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese. Serve while hot, garnish with scallions & remaining cheddar cheese.

tri tip revisited

Made another tri tip earlier this week. We ate it with caramelized onions, petite peas, mashed potatoes and fresh heirloom tomatoes from our garden. A whole tri-tip will last the two of us at least a week, usually. It's great for leftovers (sandwiches, burritos, cold or reheated by itself).

Tips on the 'tip:

1. This time I cooked the tri tip for about 27 minutes (around 13 minutes on each side) over charcoal, with about 5 minutes rest, so total time of about 32 minutes. Came out medium rare to rare in the center. Probably could've been a bit more well done, but it was just past purple/wobbly but still pretty bloody.

I would recommend for next time, 30 minutes cooking time, 15 min per side, with a 5 minute rest, for a total time of 35 minutes.

Also, the coals were stacked on one end of the BBQ, and the tri tip was placed across the edge of the coals and the cool zone.

2. Petite Peas - Trader Joes has excellent "petite peas"; much sweeter and snappier flavor than the regular grocery style ones. Go for it!

3. Caramelized onions. Here was my technique: After the tri-tip is on the grill, slice two yellow onions in half. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a cast iron pan over medium heat, add onions and toss in oil. Turn down heat to medium-low. Let slowly cook without stirring for about 5 minutes without turning. They will start to brown. Then season with salt & pepper. Now start stirring them every few minutes while they cook and to prevent burning. Once they are quite brown and soft (about 20 minutes), add about 1 tsp brown sugar and 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar. Cook for 2 minutes. Next remove from flame and CAREFULLY add 1 tbsp of brandy. If you're careful, light it on fire and let it flame off. This will leave a lovely, sweet glaze.

4. Heirloom tomatoes: what more can I say? I planted a few "brandywine" variety last season, and this year, one just sprang up by itself (self-seeded), resulting in many delicious tomatoes. I like to eat them with a sprinkle of salt & pepper, a few drops of balsamic vinegar and maybe a spritz of olive oil (from a "Misto" pump sprayer).

Speaking of which, I think I'll go downstairs now, have an onion bagel with cream cheese and tomato. Mmm...

Authentic Café Mini Meatloafs with Carmelized Onions
A delicious recipe from Roger Hayot's Authentic Cafe in Los Angeles, from the "Dinner at the Authentic Cafe" cookbook

Caramelized Onions:
1/4 c. olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 or 5 sweet onions, such as Vidalia

Meatloaves:
1.5 lbs ground chuck
2 large eggs
1 large carrot
1 small onion
1 celery rib
¼ cup evaporated milk
¼ cup unseasoned bread crumbs
¼ cup ketchup
4 cloves garlic
4 sage leaves
1 tbsp. thyme leaves
¼ tsp ground pepper
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp olive oil

Sauce:
2 tbsp olive
1 large shallot
2 cups beef stock
2 tsp. thyme leaves
2 leaves sage
½ tsp. ground pepper
4 tbsp unsalted butter

Mixed vegetables, cooked (frozen peas+carrots, etc.)

Prepare caramelized onions: heat oil & butter over low heat, cook onions for 30 minutes until limp and deep brown in color.

Preheat oven to 350. Knead meatloaf mixture for 2 minutes, no more. Divide into 5 equal portions, and shape into mini loaves. Brush loaves with oil. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees, then increase temperature to 400 and bake 10 minutes more.

While baking, prepare the sauce: heat oil in small saucepan, add shallot and cook about 1 minute. Raise heat to medium. Add stock and bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer until reduced in half, about 15 minutes. Just before serving, reheat sauce to very hot. Off heat, whisk in fresh herbs, and add salt & pepper to taste. Quickly whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Once butter has been added, serve sauce immediately.

To serve, mound onions on large plates. Spoon mixed vegetables around onions. Place meatloaf on mound of onions. Ladle sauce over meatloaves. Serve immediately, and pass extra sauce.

monday nite meals

I'm not a big fan of Mondays. So it's nice to site down with a nice meal with your loved ones to unwind.

4th of July is an excellent time to buy beef, and I got an amazing deal last week on NY Strip Steaks ($3.99/pound on sale). So I bought a "Value Pack" of 3, froze them. Today coming back from work, I decided to BBQ.

Fired up the charcoal grill. Made au gratin potatoes from the box (kicked up with a few smashed cloves of raw garlic thrown in before cooking), some frozen mixed vegetables (kicked up with SmartBalance, raw garlic, fresh thyme, salt & pepper). What a delicious meal. I think it helped my girlfriend, who was a bit hungover from the night before.

Meals don't have to be complicated to be satisfying. In many cases for me the company and the setting (at a table, with no TV on) is as important as the taste of the food. Needless to say, NY Strip Steak is very flavorful, and it completely reminded me of eating T-Bone steaks at my Grandma's house on Friday afternoons when my brother and I would get out of school early.

do you want a punch?

I made a "kicked up" punch yesterday:

1-1/2 oz strawberry vodka (such as Stoli)
1-1/2 oz mango rum (such as Captain Morgan's)
3/4 oz triple sec or Cointreau
1-1/2 oz orange juice (strained, no pulp)
1/2 cup pineapple juice
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Club soda
Splash of grenadine

In a cocktail shaker, add ice and combine vodka, rum, triple sec, orange juice, lemon juice, pineapple juice, and shake vigorously. Fill wine or tall cocktail glass 1/2 way. Top off glass with club soda and splash of grenadine (grenadine will give it a sunset/layered look). Garnish with a piece of pineapple, mango, or strawberry if desired.

chickada-china-da-chinese-chicken

Improvised a tasty Chinese chicken stir fry for two tonight, with sugar snap peas fresh from the garden. Beckey really liked the flavor of the chicken; with the marinade, it does have a nice velvety consistency. Sliced thin, the chicken cooks in about 1 minute; the key is to do it in batches in a hot pan so that the meat doesn't steam.

Chinese Chicken Stir Fry with Snap Peas
Serves 2

Marinade:
4 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sake
1 tbsp sesame oil
Fresh ground pepper

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced across the grain into 1/4" thick slices

4 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
4 tbsp corn oil
4 tbsp. sake
2 tbsp. soy sauce
12 sugar snap peas
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine marinade ingredients and mix until smooth. Slice chicken (it helps if it's slightly frozen), add to marinade, stir well to coat, and set aside. Let sit 30 minutes minimum.

Chop garlic, wash sugar snap peas.

Heat skillet over high heat and add 2 tbsp. oil. Fry chicken in 3 batches, cooking each batch about 30 seconds per side, remove and drain on paper towels. Remove all chicken from pan.

Over high heat, add 2 tbsp. oil, add garlic and stirfry for 30 seconds. Add snap peas & stir fry for another 30 seconds. Add remaining sake & soy sauce and stir for 15 seconds. Add chicken, stir for 30 seconds, and remove from heat. Serve immediately in bowls.

Philly cheese steak

In Pennsylvania to visit my brother, so we went to get cheese steak today at Tony Luke's. Here's a pretty accurate recipe for authentic Philly cheese steak, courtesy of Pat's King of Steaks. People have almost religious arguments here regarding which is better, Pat's or Tony Luke's.

http://www.patskingofsteaks.com/recipe.htm

Here's more information:
http://philadelphia.about.com/library/howto/htmakeacheesesteak.htm

So what else is Philly known for culinarily? Apparently soft pretzels and Italian sandwiches (hoagies). See: http://www.bg-map.com/foods.html

Asian Red Cabbage Salad

My mom used to make a salad called "fumi salad," which is a wilted cabbage salad with an Asian influence. So I made it for the first time this week, with my own little twists (the biggest of which was to use red cabbage instead of regular green cabbage), and it turned out delicious. The great thing is, that you can make it 8 hours in advance, and it holds its crunch and was still great. I estimate that it would probably keep 24 hours before turning too soft.

Asian Red-Cabbage Salad

1 head red cabbage, finely shredded
1 package ramen noodles, crushed (discard the flavor packet)
1 carrot, finely shredded
5 green onions, into diagonal slices, including part of the green part
Slivered almonds, sesame seeds and/or sunflower seeds, to taste (optional)

Dressing
1/3 cup salad oil
1 tbsp. sesame oil
6 tbsp sugar
6 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp. soy sauce

Whisk together all dressing ingredients and set aside. In large bowl, add shredded cabbage, ramen noodles, shredded carrot, green onions and almonds/sunflower seeds. Whisk dressing again, add to salad, toss, cover with plastic wrap and refridgerate for at least 2 hours. When ready to serve, address flavor of dressing as necessary (add more vinegar, etc).

Fryin' Chick'n 'n' things

Watching FoodTV during lunch today, I saw Tyler Florence talk about fried chicken. A couple of tips:

1. Season your flour (salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne)
2. Season your buttermilk with hot sauce
3. Coat the chicken as follows: flour, wet, flour again, and leave it in the flour to soak up for a few minutes
4. Heat oil to 375 degrees F., temperature will drop when adding lots of chicken pieces.

Saw Mark Bittman's show (How to Cook Everything) for the first time, he was visiting Gary Danko. Bittman suggested an interesting dessert: freeze an overripe persimmon, let it defrost a little, and it tastes like sorbet.

the corner place

That's the name of one of my favorite Korean BBQ restaurants in Los Angeles.
Went with Beckey & some friends this last Thursday for Korean BBQ.

I love bulgogi and the kimchi too, so super delicious. With 4 large Hite beers and 2 chicken and 2 beef dishes for 6 people, it was very reasonable (<$20 per person) and very delicious. If you want to try making bulgogi yourself, here are a few good sources: http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/issues/bulgogi.htm
http://www.1stopkorea.com/index.htm?cooking-kimchi.htm~mainframe

Kimchi is a different story, more complicated, more preparation.
Here's some links:

http://www.koreanquarterly.org/Fall1998/food.asp
http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/pickles/recipe-kimchi.html
http://www.sweetbabymedia.com/recipes/allbynumber4/016638.shtml
http://kalaniosullivan.com/General/Opinions-k2.htm (annoying graphics but neat recipes)

where to buy specialty food items online

Sometimes, based on a certain cuisine, you may need to track down specialty ingredients that aren't readily available at your local supermarket. I live near a big city (L.A.) and in the past I have even had difficulty tracking down certain items in ethnic markets as well.

Fortunately, we have the Internet!

Asian Foods & Supplies

Pacific Rim Gourmet: http://www.pacificrim-gourmet.com/, for fermented black beans (a.k.a salted black bean)

The Spice House: http://www.thespicehouse.com, for all kinds of spices

bat out of hell

Beckey & I made a great version of meatloaf about 2 weeks or so ago from Roget Hayot's Authentic Cafe cookbook. Super moist, not dry at all, extremely flavorful, and served with garlic mashed potatoes and caramelized onions. Mmmm good.

garlic pasta is for suckers!

As "Precious Roy" says, "buy my garlic pasta. You guys are suckers!" Seriously, I made a pasta in lemon vodka cream sauce that Beckey must've really liked (she ate her whole serving!)

Fusilli in a Creamy Lemon-Vodka Sauce

Serves 2

1/2 pound fusilli (corkscrew) pasta
3 tbsp. butter or Smart Balance butter substitute (don't use margarine!)
10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/8 cup fresh lemon juice (juice of 1/2 of a large lemon)
1/4 tsp. lemon zest
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried thyme
Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated (reserve 1/4 cup)

In a large pot, boil water and add pasta. In a large skillet, heat butter at medium heat until melted, then add garlic, turn down heat to low and saute for 2 minutes; try not to brown the garlic. Next, turn heat up to high and mix 1 tbsp flour in skillet with garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Add milk all at once, stirring constantly until mixture begins to thicken and bubble. Add vodka , lemon juice, lemon zest, basil, thyme, and garlic powder, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Once pasta is cooked to "al dente", drain pasta. Re-heat skillet at medium heat, add parmesan cheese to sauce and stir for 1 minute. Add pasta and cook for another 1 minute until mixture is heated through. Serve in warm bowls immediately, sprinkling each serving with remaining parmesan cheese.

grow your own

Here's a few resources with information on growing your own:

Growing Guides

Citrus from seed: http://h2othouse.com/html/citrus_from_seed.html
Peppers: http://www.chili-pepper-plants.com/html/growing_peppers.html

Seeds

Asian Vegetable Seeds: http://www.evergreenseeds.com/evergreenseeds/index.html
Burpee: http://www.burpee.comHeirloom Seeds: http://www.heirloomseeds.com/tomatoes.htm
Thompson & Morgan: http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/us/en

dress it up

Had a delicious dinner at my friend Chris' parent's house. Chris' mom Lily made an excellent meal which included:

Mixed Green Salad with cucumbers, radishes, cherry tomatoes, and Lily's special dressing (recipe follows)
Roast Beef with gravy and Green Beans
Potato Salad
Chicken Bake with cheese and broccoli
Beets
Mochi, sorbet "cake", fresh strawberries and fresh pineapple for dessert

Lily's Salad Dressing
Fantastically full of flavor, I imagine it would go great with chicken too. Don't know the quantities, so it will require some experimentation to get the proportions right.

Olive Oil
Salt
Fresh finely chopped garlic
Fresh Lemon juice
Dijon Mustard

clouds of mushrooms

Last week has been an excellent week for cooking. Made Chicken with Calvados from the "Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook" by Sharon Kramis which Beckey gave to me a few months ago, along with Rosemary Roasted potatoes, and it was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend that book.

Bought 3 lbs of mushrooms from Costco, so I had to decide what to do with them all. So I improvised the following dish, and it turned out delicious. If you don't love mushrooms, this is not the dish for you.

Farfalle with Mushrooms and Prosciutto in Thyme-Cream Sauce

1/2 lb. farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped, or 1/4 cup yellow onion finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tbsp. prosciutto, finely chopped
10 large fresh mushrooms, washed & sliced 1/8-1/4" thick (your regular "white" mushrooms)
1 tbsp. paprika
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt & pepper

In a large pot, start bringing water to a boil, and add salt to water.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat, and add shallots, garlic, and prosciutto, and saute for 30 seconds. Then turn heat to high, add mushrooms, thyme sprigs, oregano, and paprika to pan and saute for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. The mushrooms will release a lot of water while cooking, but it will evaporate. Once mushroom "water" has evaporated, turn off heat.

Once pasta is cooked, drain pasta and add to skillet. Heat at high heat and stir mushroom/pasta mixture for 2 minutes. Turn off heat, then add cream and stir. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Will refridgerate and re-heat nicely as well.

freedom soup

Wow, haven't posted here in a while. Not a whole lot of focused cooking going on, plenty of eating though.

I must say that I've become really interested in eating soup lately. Made some French Onion Soup recently, had some chicken soup last night. Soup tastes good and is good for you. The healing powers of certain soups are really amazing.

French Onion Soup
Remember all of the ridiculousness about "freedom fries" when France didn't support the war in Iraq? This is a slight modification of the French Onion soup recipe from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. The most notable addition is use of beef stock instead of water. This gives the soup the rich texture you normally associate with French Onion soup.

French Onion Soup
Serves 8
Prep time: 40 minutes

4 yellow onions, medium
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp flour
1 liter of beef stock (preferably organic/free range, low or no sodium)
Salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
8 round or oblong slices of french baguette
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Slice the onions into thin rings (1/8") using a mandoline or a sharp knife. Melt butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, and add onions. Saute onions, adjusting the heat so that they don't burn, until soft and golden in color over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with pepper, add sugar and flour, and cook for additional 3 minutes.

Next add entire quantity of beef stock, raise heat to high and bring soup to boil. Meanwhile, grate parmesan cheese. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes. Adjust seasonings (salt & pepper) to taste. Turn oven broiler on to prepare for last step.

Ladle soup into small heat-safe bowls. Add baguette slice to each bowl, and sprinkle with 1/8 cup parmesan cheese, and put bowls under oven broiler. Watching carefully, broil for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted & bubbly. Carefully remove bowls from oven and serve.

Enjoy!

not a whole lot; food memories

not a whole lot of cooking the last week or so. Just too busy with work. More reheating leftovers.
In other food news< i've recently started to really enjoy eating oatmeal at breakfast & lunch. Gives me energy & tastes good. When I was very young up until I was in my early teens, when my mom would make breakfast, many times she'd cook oatmeal and milk together with Cream of Wheat, pour it all in blender, blend till smooth, then serve with a dollop of butter, about a tablespoon or so of honey, sprinkled with cinnamon.

One of my earliest recollections of comfort food.

What else do I remember of my mom's cooking & comfort food? Some of my favorites off the top of my head:

Kashi (she called it "kasha") with bacon & sauteed onion
Fejoida (made in a crock pot with tomatoes)
Meatloaf
Shepherd's pie (mashed potatoe crust with ground beef & onions, topped w/ cheddar cheese)
Flank steak, marinated in vinegar & garlic, broiled, served with mashed potatoes
Clam Chowder (Campbells from a can, but with bread, it's good, who cares?)

The older she got, the less interested she became in cooking for us. Although now, when I come over to visit, she makes some great salads, sweet & savory, some with mandarin oranges & avocado, some with tomato & cucumber, all very tasty.

One thing my mom seems pretty good at is taking care of herself physically. She eats well, exercises plenty and regularly, and is in great shape for her age. Her cholesterol is low & she has plenty of energy.

Speaking of clam chowder, I remember going to "Meager Meals" every Wednesday at our church/parochial school during Lent. It was like a parishoner potluck, everyone would bring a soup & some bread, and that was dinner. Light but tasty.

When my brother & I were very little, we used to go to Grandma's every Friday after school, & she would cook for us. We'd play outside, then Grandma would have for each of us a small T-bone steak, green red-leaf lettuce salad with sour cream & dill dressing, and thin-cut potatoes fried kinda crispy in oil. Wow, just brings back memories.

In any case, I need to eat healthier. I find myself drinking too much soda & eating too much junk food (chips, etc) that I never used to eat when I was younger. Also my much more sedentary lifestyle & slower metabolism & thus I have somewhat high cholesterol.

Getting back to my young days, one last food thought for the night. Around 1982 or 1983 I travelled with my family (parents & brother) to Chicago to a folk dance festival. I remember that I couldn't really remember the cities so much, but I remember for many years I could remember in detail each restaurant I ate at. I remember the "Bumbleberry Inn" in Utah, as well as a Holiday Inn (perhaps?) in Gillette (Iowa? dunno) that had a swimming pool inside, and big frogs or toads roaming around outside on the grass in the damp warm night air. I remember vomiting on my brother in the back of my folks' brick red 1981 Oldsmobile Cutlass diesel station wagon, after driving windy roads in Utah/Bryce Canyon, sitting in the back of the station wagon & having just eaten a blueberry yogurt Nature Valley granola bar. To this day I can't stand yogurt granola bars. Oh well. Good night!

chilin' part 2

made chili again last night, a few tweaks and I think it's the best one so far:

1. Add 1 extra tablespoon garlic powder
2. Mince 1 entire head of garlic and add after ground beef has browned.
3. Saute onions first, remove, cook ground beef until brown, and drain off fat.
4. Add 1-28 ounce (big) can whole tomatoes (or you could use 2-14oz cans)
5. Add 6 oz tomato paste (1/2 of a big 12oz can).

Very nice, even chili flavor with just enough spice.

smokin'

Late night for me tonight, that's OK, playing some music, ripping some CD's now. I bought a whole pork shoulder (picnic-style, meaning the lower/leg part) of about 13 lbs, and a 4.5 lbs. boneless pork butt/shoulder. Rubbed the big 13-lb behemoth with the Wolfgang Puck rub I used successfully the last time, and the smaller one with a 50/50 of the Puck rub and another rub I found on the web.

The reason for this smoking extravaganza? My department is having a potluck tomorrow, and a bunch of people are bringing crummy food, so I figured I'd bring something meaty & good. Incidentally, what makes the whole thing even super crummier is the fact that the two managers who run the department are too cheap to anty up any money for a decent lunch for their staff. Look, they're managers, I'm sure each of them make over $75K, why couldn't they foot a $200 lunch bill and write it off of their own taxes as a business expense? Lame management sucks! I would do that kind of thing if I was the manager, I think it should be part of your responsibility. Anyways...

So in this very windy weather, I had to move the trashcan & smoker near each other to ensure that it doesn't get blown over while it's smoking tonight. Sheesh, when will this insane wind end?
I started the pork butts at around 9:30pm this evening, so hopefully by tomorrow morning they'll be pretty nicely done. Smoking them with 50/50 mesquite & hickory wood chips. I'll have to try wood chunks sometime to see if that works better. It would also be really nice to get an external gas hookup run outside the house so I could fire a BBQ or the smoker using natural gas. I think that would make it really easy to maintain the heat the smoker needs. Oh well, another home project for me.

smokey and the bandit

Burt Reynolds was funny in those 70's movies, damn. Speaking of smoky, I made my chili recipe yesterday, and decided to crack open a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. I've heard a lot about these things but never tried them, and I figured if they tasted "smoky", the flavor should go really well with the chili.

Chipotle peppers are simply jalapeno peppers that have been dried, smoked and then rehydrated. You can buy them in a can in "adobo" sauce, which is a red sauce, in most grocery stores, and certainly in any Mexican markets.

I cranked the can open, dipped my finger in for a taste...wow! Very warm but smokey heat, just like you'd expect from a smoked jalapeno. I blended a couple for two seconds, mixed it in to the chili, and it really added a new dimension of richness & thickness.

Alas, I was missing tomato paste, which I realized after yesterday's chili adventure is absolutely necessary to enhance the "richness" of the chili; you really can't do without it. I also tried substituting shallots for yellow onions (because I have a big bag); it worked fine, but I think onions have a bigger, brighter, "louder" flavor than do shallots. Still, it tasted very good.

On another note, I tried a recipe for Lithuanian rye bread from a cookbook I bought in Lithuania and it turned out abysmally bad. I think the failures were the following:

1. The yeast may be too old. I didn't proof it, but I think I need a new jar, as I remember from my prior pizza making experience.
2. Too much rye flour makes the dough too thick & gummy. Without wheat flour & gluten, it's too dense.

Well, cooking as always is a learning experience.

grandma's bread

Well, well well, it's that holiday time off year again when I take on the tradition of making my grandmother's bread recipe. It's no easy task, because my grandmother did this at least once every week so the recipe was always in her head, never written down. She never bought bread from the grocery store, always made from scratch. My memories of this dark rye bread involve me sitting at my grandma's white formica table in their small 1950's kitchen, the bread coming out of the toaster and being slathered in butter. It tasted like the bread equivalent of the perfect french fry: a little crunchy on the outside and so soft and chewy inside. Mmm. My "mociute" Antonia and my great aunt "Manyte" or "Teta Maryte" would let me help them knead the dough sometimes. I think it was in their kitchen that I learned to appreciate the beautiful smell of freshly baking bread.

Anyway, here's her recipe. When I was in Lithuania, I found a Lithuanian cookbook with a recipe that I think will approximate her bread even more closely. I had some black rye bread in Lithuania that was almost (if not) exactly the same texture and flavor as my grandma's bread. I'm going to transcribe my grandma's recipe word-for-word from Lithuanian, because it's funny & it's difficult to know how she made this bread. Her "cup" measurement could have been a coffee mug, I just don't know exactly: this recipe was all in her head, because she did it every week.

"Musu Duona ("Our Bread")

4 cups buttermilk
3 cups water

Warm in on the stove while constantly mixing, so it doesn't curdle.

Add rye flour until the consistency is like sour cream and set aside to ferment, covered in a warm spot. (I set it aside to ferment at 4-5pm in the afternoon the day before). The next day after it has fermented, I add 1 cup of honey, a large spoon (tablespoon?) of caraway seeds, a large spoon (tablespoon?) of salt, and the yeast. I use 2 packages of fresh yeast cakes (ed. note--this was preferred) or 2 small spoons (teaspoons?) of dry yeast. (First I prepare the yeast with a little flour and a bit of sugar and set it aside to let it rise).

Having combined all of the ingredients, I add 1 pound of rye flour and the remaining white flour (unbleached) so that it would be quite thick. Then I knead the dough for 20 minutes (ed. note--always by hand, she didn't have a stand or bread mixer!!), and I transfer the dough into bread pans, to let the dough rise. When it rises I put it in a 350 degree oven and bake for 1.5 hours. It should turn out good, good luck (ed. note--translated as "Turetu buti gerai. Sekmes")"

Today I'm going to try the cookbook version of this recipe. I'll post it later & let you know how it goes.

warm arugula and potato salad

I lived in West Hollywood for 6 months, on Spaulding Ave between Melrose & Santa Monica Blvd. Interesting neighborhood, Oki-Dog right around the corner, lots of Russians and Jews & Russian Jews, horrible parking (I got SO many parking tickets from stupid street cleaning). I had a tiny studio with hardwood floors, overflowing with packed boxes because my last apartment was so huge. Funny, the boxes never really got unpacked.

For those 6 months I only had a mini-fridge, but it was a good thing that Trader Joes was just down the street, so I could keep in quick supply. One particularily frugal evening I devised this recipe & loved it. It's warm and satisfying, and the pepperiness of the arugula goes nicely with the oil, vinegar, and warm flavors of potato.

Warm Arugula and Potato Salad
Serves 2 persons

1 medium potato
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch red pepper flakes
4 cups arugula
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, flaked (preferably) or grated
1/4 tsp. Salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice potato very thin (1/8" or thinner). Heat oil in skillet over high heat and add potato slices to oil when almost smoking, arranged in a single layer. Cook for 2 minutes, turn to flip, and then add minced garlic, red pepper flakes and salt. Allow potatoes to brown slightly. Place arugula in large mixing bowl. Transfer potatoes and leftover pan drippings to arugula. Add balsamic vinegar and toss. Plate, top with parmesan flakes and fresh ground pepper, and serve immediately while warm.

Chin Chin!

Here's a funny anecdote about "chin chin" which is supposed to be a toast:http://www.i18nguy.com/humor/chin-chin.html

I think the salad dressing for Chin-Chin's Chinese Chicken Salad is excellent, and here's my attempt at replicating it (I've been digging through my old recipes this morning at home, waiting for an appointment with a phone system repair guy). I did this a while ago (maybe 1998-1999?), but I do remember that it came out pretty damn close to the original (I acually had some of the original and was tasting it as I went along).

Chin-Chin Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing
Makes 1/2 cup

2 tbsp pickled ginger, minced
4 tbsp "juice" (vinegar) from pickled ginger
1-2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp corn oil
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Small pinch red chili flakes OR dash of Tabasco

Whisk ginger, pickled ginger "juice", 1 tbsp soy sauce, brown sugar, corn oil and chili flakes. Taste and adjust soy sauce by 1 tbsp. if necessary to taste (2 tbsp. is salty for my palate). Add pepper to taste & whisk again.

blustery outside, warm inside

Thanksgiving has come and gone. My first Thanksgiving cooking, with my girlfriend Beckey, and first Thanksgiving in the new house. Beckey's were there and so was my mom, and a big feast was had for all. The menu:

Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash soup
Green salad with endives, pears and a Dijon vinaigrette
14-1/2 lb turkey
Beckey's mom's stuffing
My mom's dressing
Roasted Garlic Mashed potatoes
Roasted Cipollini Onions
Sauteed mushrooms with garlic and onions
Steamed green beans
Canned beets
Canned baked yams with marshmallows
Fresh Cranberry sauce (from my mom)
Pumpkin Pie, Berry Pie, and Pecan Pie
Dinner Rolls

I made the soup, salad, onions, and helped with the Turkey.

The squash soup recipe came from the Williams Sonoma "Complete Entertaining Guide". It's rich, sweet, and spicy, and yet is quite low fat & healthy. Beckey's dad proclaimed "...and I don't even like squash!", a testament to this soup's tastiness. I made the soup the night before, it refrigerated beautifully, and reheated the next day just as nicely.

Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. butter
3 c. butternut squash, peeled and diced
1 c. onion, diced
1 green apple (such as Granny Smith), cored and diced
1/2 green apple, for garnish
1/2 tsp nutmeg, ground
1/2 tsp allspice, ground
1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
6 cups chicken stock
Salt & pepper to taste

In a large pot, melt butter and add diced onions and apple. Cook at medium-low heat for around 15 minutes, until onions are soft. Add nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon, and cook for about 1 minute. Next add diced squash, and add enough chicken stock to just cover the mixture. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, and pour mixture (in 2 or 3 batches) into food processor. Blend with food processor until smooth, about 15-20 seconds per batch. Add salt & pepper to taste, and adjust other seasonings as necessary (nutmeg, allspice, cinammon)

At this point, you can pour it into a bowl and refrigerate uncovered until cool, then cover it. It will easily store until the next day. Just bring to a near boil the next day and serve. Or, serve it in soup bowls garnished by thin apple slices. Mmm...I just had a bowl for lunch, and it was excellent.

Roasted Cipollini Onions

Cipollini Onions are smaller than shallots, and look kind of like a small, flattened white or yellow onion. This recipe comes from Janus Wilder from an old FoodTV episode.

Serves 6
1 tbsp. olive oil
24 Cipollini Onions, peeled
3 tbsp. brandy
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. In a skillet, heat oil and add onions, cooking for around 5-10 minutes or until they get some color. Take skillet off flame, add brandy, and tip into flame (watch out!) to flame off brandy. Add salt & pepper to taste. Transfer onions to baking dish (or cook the onions in a cast iron pan) and cook them in the oven for 45 minutes.


Some holiday cooking hints:

• For mashed potatoes for a group, estimate about 1 medium or 1 large potato per person. A nice proportion we found was: 6 potatoes, 2 sticks butter, 2 heads (not cloves, HEADS) of roasted garlic. I read in a cooking-related book that a good proportion for mashed potatoes is a 1-to-1 ratio of potato to butter, but my heart almost stopped while thinking about that. Even so, the above proportion made for some very rich, creamy mashed potatoes.
• Throw in the garlic to roast in the over about 1 or 1.5 hours before the turkey is done, to best coordinate with the completion of mashed potatoes.
• Apparently it's easier to peel cipollini onions if you blanch them in some boiling water for about 15 seconds.
  
  

the joys of loin flap meat

Honestly, I think loin flap meat is one of the most delicious cuts of beef. I bought about 4.5 pounds at Costco, at around $3.69/pound last week. It is what is used often to make "carne preparada", and for flavor, I think it beats flank steak, or at least is comparable, and much cheaper; to me, it's about as flavorful as rib eye, but not nearly as fatty. It is a thin, quick-cooking piece of meat that does very well in making Mexican foods like carne asada tacos, burritos and fajitas. Something about its flavor screams "burritos" to me, so that's what I made last night.

Aside from damp charcoal (which I had to replace with a new bag from the store), it turned out great on my little Weber "Smokey Joe". I used a new recipe for a marinade I found on Allrecipes.com. Surprisingly, the loin flap meat stood up very well to the marinade for over 24 hours; sometimes leaner cuts get "cooked" or "burned" by the acids in the marinade, and the loin flap exhibited no such symptoms with this marinade.

Anyway, here's the marinade. To give credit where credit is due, you should download it at: http://beef.allrecipes.com/AZ/70935.asp

2.5 pounds loin flap meat

Marinade:
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 limes, juiced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika

Combine all ingredients for marinade in mixing bowl & whisk for until well combined. Place loin flap meat in a single layer in a large casserole dish, pour marinade over, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Allow to marinade for at least 1 hour, and up to 24 hours.

Heat up your grill over high heat & grill flap meat about 2-3 minutes per side for medium rare. Slice with the grain and serve with warm tortillas, pico de gallo, chopped onions, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and guacamole.

chilin'

Today I spent the day ripping CD's, writing a Javascript application to calculate how long it would take to rip all of my CD's down, and making a big pot of chili. The core of my recipe comes from the Fannie Farmer cookbook recipe for "Chili Con Carne", by has been tweaked based on my friend Mike Reiner's mom's recipe, which adds canned tomatoes and tomato paste. I find the recipe in Fannie Farmer lacks richness, and the tomatoes really add that richness. I also omitted the beef stock; I suppose this would make it even richer, but I want to be able to tweak the salt content myself. I substitute water in this case. Serve warm over pasta or just by itself. Freezes really well too, and I've noticed the flavor really develops the next day.

NOTE: I like my food pretty spicy; if it bothers you, reduce the chili flakes, Tabasco, and cayenne. But really, it's not THAT spicy.

My Chili
Serves 8

2 onions, chopped
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. Emeril's Essence (make it yourself)
1/4 c. minced garlic
3 lbs. ground beef, extra lean
2 tsp. salt

1-14oz can whole peeled tomatoes
3 oz tomato paste (1/2 of the small can)
6 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. ground black pepper
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. new mexico chili powder
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tbsp. oregano
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 tbsp. red chili flakes
1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. worcheshire sauce
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. Tabasco
2 cups water


Heat olive oil in large stew pot. Add onions and garlic and cook over medium-low heat until translucent (around 15 min). Turn up heat to medium-high, add ground beef and brown, stirring frequently, about 7-10 minutes. Process whole peeled tomatoes (including can juice) in food processor 10-15 seconds so tomatoes are only a bit chunky, but not totally smooth. Once beef is brown, add tomatoes, tomato paste, all spices, sauces, vinegar, tabasco & water, and cook over low heat for 1 hour. Remove from heat & serve immediately. For best flavor, reheat the next day.

A BBQ Chicken Pizza from 11/9/2004 

A Thai Chicken Pizza from 11/8/2004 

take it back

I've rarely, if ever, sent back food in a restaurant. The only time I can recall was in March or April 2003, I was at a conference in Chico, CA, and two friends and I went to a nice steakhouse. I ordered a porterhouse medium rare and it arrived well done. It was a nice steakhouse, so we were paying premium (maybe $35-40 for the steak), so I sent it back. Thankfully it came back right. Fortunately, they even let me keep the other (over-done) steak too. That's the kind of service I appreciate.

Anyway, I take it back, because the CPK caesar salad dressing actually turned out OK. The problem was that I was making it in a mini food-processor, and I think it didn't emulsify the oil sufficiently. Today I reblended it in our nice Waring Pro bar blender & it turned out nice & creamy. Unfortunately I had "adulterated" it yesterday with additional ingredients because I didn't think it tasted right, so I'll have to make it again to see what it "really" tastes like; I think it will be dead-on. Incidentally, I did a taste test between the Wolfgang Puck recipe & the CPK dressing recipe with Beckey, & she liked the CPK one better. So pizza, caesar salad, and I spent the rest of my evening disassembling CD's from their cases into soft-side multi-CD storage cases to reduce the physical size of my CD collection.

another pizza; more caesars

I'm on a pizza craze. I made the BBQ chicken pizza recipe last night. Turned out very well. The dough rose better (I added an additional 1/2 tsp yeast), but it still didn't rise very strong, even though I let my refrigerated yeast come to room temperature. Maybe the yeast is old (most likely the case).

I also make the CPK Caesar salad dressing recipe. To be honest, I'm not sure if it's the same as what they serve at CPK; I adapted it from the Caesar Salad Pizza recipe in the CPK cookbook.

The dressing was rather overwhelmingly garlicky, and could have used a bit more anchovy, in my opinion. I think the lack of anchovy flavor was due to the use of anchovy paste, which is really mild in flavor as opposed to canned (tinned) anchovies. The dressing also was rather oily, and not very "creamy". Perhaps it didn't emulsify correctly; I did make it in my mini-food processor, not my blender, like I usually do.

I have a Caesar dressing recipe from Wolfgang Puck that I'm rather fond of, as I believe it comes the closest to the creamy, garlicky recipes that I've tasted in various "nice" restaurants. I'll post it sometime soon. Meanwhile, I just enjoyed 2 pieces of my leftover Thai Chicken pizza for lunch. Yum!

experiment in pizza

So tonight after two shopping trips to Costco for meat and Ralphs for produce, Beckey & I decided to complete our saga of Thai Chicken Pizza, CPK style according to the recipe included below. The results were fantastic (you'll see a photo in the next post, shortly). Made two pizzas. The pizzas themselves cook up very quickly, and I am happy to report that the GE range that I have will heat comfortably up to 505 degrees F. and maintain it! The first pizza came out rather "crispy". I left it in for 9 minutes, and it was too much; at 500 degrees, 7-8 minutes was plenty.
Had to dig out the pizza peel and pizza stone, but it all came together in a tasty way. Some notes:

1. Be sparing on the sauce on the pizza, as it is very rich and rather filling. We used about 1/4 cup, and we could've used less...but maybe that's because the dough really didn't rise that much.
In any event, the pizza was so filling, Beckey & I each only ate half.

2. 2 cups shredded mozzarella is about 4-5 ounces of solid cheese, i.e., one small mozzarella cheese.

3. Four scallions listed may be too much, 2 would probably be sufficient, unless you really like green onions.

4. The dough didn't rise as expected. Even after the first rise at room temperature, the dough had barely increased in size by 10-15%. The water temp for dissolving the yeast was fine. I think it was because the yeast was cold (I left it in the refrigerator). So I'm making another batch of pizza dough tonight; except this time, I upped the yeast by 1/2 teaspoon, let the yeast "proof" for around 10 minutes until it was nice & bubbly. I also only kneaded the dough enough for it to come together & to absorb all the flour in the bowl, so it's not smooth; in fact, it still looks pretty rough. So we'll see what happens.

5. 10 ounces of chicken is about 1.5 chicken breasts. I cooked two, and I should have enough chicken left for a BBQ chicken pizza tomorrow. Next time, cook 3 breasts, that's enough for 4 pizzas.

6. If your oven really can hit 500 degrees and you're using a pizza stone, 9-10 minutes might be too much. Somewhere between about 7-9 minutes is the key. At 7 minutes, you should definitely check, and keep a keen eye on it from then on. 10 minutes yields a nice crispy dark crust, but also may lead to slightly burned cheese.


In any event, the pizza was very tasty, and we have 1-1/4 pizzas left over for dining tomorow. Pizza stone & high oven temperature yielded a nice crunchy crust. I will experiment more in the future with the dough recipe, perhaps adding a bit of wheat gluten to increase the chewiness.

On another note, I got my copy of Helen Chen's "Chinese Home Cooking" today. I think that pretty much completes it for my Asian cookbook purchasing. At this point I have a number of Asian cookbooks, mostly with a Chinese Cooking emphasis:

China Moon Cookbook by Barbara Tropp
Art of Chinese Cooking by Barbara Tropp
The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook by Gloria Bey Miller
Time Life "Foods of The World" Series, "Art of Chinese Cooking" (out of print, but available on Ebay)
Chopstix Cookbook by Hugh Carpenter
Chinese Cuisine by Huang Su Huei
Chinese Cuising: Cantonese Style by Lee-Hwa Lin
Chinese Home Cooking by Helen Chen
Blue Ginger: East Meets West by Ming Tsai

guidelines for cooking with wine

A lot of Chinese recipes call for Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry. This is especially used in different meat marinades, because it contributes flavor and the wine acids/alcohols contribute to breaking down the meat, and flavoring and tenderizing it in the meanwhile.

Even so, the Chinese cooking wine (Xiaoxing) I have tasted was repulsive; as the rule goes, "if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it", so 95% of the bottle ended in the trash. Further, I have tasted dry sherry and am not a big fan.

So the next time I cook with wine, I will try a nice Chardonnay or a simple red table wine. Trader Joe's should be able to provide some reasonable alternatives. Here are a few more tips I gleaned from an article at http://www.aboutwines.com/:

"1. If you are cooking with an off-dry wine or a sweet wine, the residual sugar will have an effect on the dish. So be aware. Depending on the nature of the dish, it might be desirable.

2. High oak and high tannins will add a perceivable note of bitterness. I generally avoid "monster reds" and "2 x 4 whites" for cooking. I don't like the added acrid notes."

And again, the old standby rule:

3. If you wouldn't drink it, certainly don't cook with it!

favorite eats in L.A.

Tortilla encrusted chicken at Authentic Cafe
Chicken sandwich with fontina at Kings Road cafe
Steak sandwiches at Yuca's
Rib eye at Grace
Any steak at Arnie Morton's, but especially rib eye
Kingburgers "on the char" at Fatburger
Double-Doubles animal-style at In-N-Out with extra tomatoes
Baja burritos with gigantic mounds of pico de gallo and spicy salsa at Baja Fresh
Caesar Salad and BBQ Chicken Pizza at CPK
"Dim Sum and Then Sum" meal at Chin Chin
Crispy Orange Beef at The Inn Place
Wienerschnitzel at the Red Lion
Pastrami sandwich at Togo's
Pastrami sandwich at Oinkster (added 2007-09-11)
Chicken wings, hot & extra crispy at Hot Wings Cafe (Melrose!)
Hot dogs or chili burgers at Pink's
Chili burgers and chili fries at Tommy's
Chili burgers and chili fries at Big Tomy's (Sawtelle)
Eggplant pizza at Mulberry St. Pizza (Beverly Hills)
Chicken crepes at the Farmer's Market
Waffle Combo or breakfast burrito at Uncle Bill's Pancake House
Breakfast Burrito or "French Quarter" at the Kettle
Pepperoni & garlic pizza at Tower Pizza or Wildflour
Chinese Chicken Salad or Blackened Chicken Sandwich at Cheesecake Factory
Bread from La Brea Bakery or Il Fornaio

boy...I am hungry today!

L.A. Restaurants I Miss

Thank goodness there are still some great restaurants in Los Angeles. I few I miss are these:

Gone L.A. Restaurants

Red. Now in the location of Opaline on Beverly Blvd. Red had a combination 1950's retro decor plus a Moroccan tinge. Lots of deep primary colors inside. Great meatloaf, excellent mixed green salad with vinaigrette & goat cheese, tasty vegetarian burger with crispy skinny fries. I also liked how they served wine in stainless tumblers. Not cheap but I enjoyed it.

Boxer. A tasty eaterie on Beverly Drive. I remember eating a delicious rabbit dish, and then some kind of dessert with candied lavender leaves which I thought was amazing.

South Bay Fusion. A smallish place in Hermosa/Manhattan Beach. I had 2 or 3 memorable meals there, back when fusion food really was popular in the mid 1990s. Great bread, all was decorated in white. I remember having some kind of pasta with squid ink or somesuch dish that was outstanding. Oh, and their crabcakes were phenomenal, I would order them everytime.

Great L.A. Restaurants

Grace (Beverly Blvd.) Tasty olives at the bar, great beef tartar appetizer, and one of the best rib-eyes of my life. The dessert was two mini carmel coated apples and some kind of deep-fried ice cream of some sort.

Saddle Peak Lodge (Malibu). What can I say? I had elk tenderloin and it was amazing. The setting is beautiful too.

Authentic Cafe (Beverly Blvd). Their tortilla encrusted chicken with plaintains is a favorite, I rarely get anything else; so are their corn tamales with guacamole. I even bought Roger Hayot's Authentic Cafe cookbook, and was really disappointed that the tortilla encrusted chicken wasn't listed there.

Mandarette (Beverly Blvd) . Went with my mom once for a birthday or Mother's Day or something. Happened to order the special of the day, which was a lobster stir-fry with green beans and a spicy sauce that was ridiculously good.

Spago (Beverly Hills). One of the best meals of my lifetime. First time I had oysters, and they were excellent. "Wolfie" even stopped by our table to check on us. Truly a magnificent dining experience, and a very memorable meal.

Batter up...21 batter recipes

OK, so I did about 1 hours worth of research this evening into different kinds of batters for deep frying. Read & enjoy, and hopefully find one that you really like. If you do, leave a comment and let me know which ones are your favorites.

Batter Recipes

Batter #1
Source:
http://asiarecipe.com/cgi/web/webbbs_config.cgi/noframes/read/2365

1 egg
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. plus 1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1 tbsp. vegetable or corn oil

Combine egg, salt, pepper and oil and mix well. Stir cornstarch and flour into egg mixture a bit at a time till smooth. Add meat pieces, stir to coat.

Batter #2
Source: http://www.toptastes.com/recipes/light/chinesebatter.htm

1 cup flour
1 cup cornstarch
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup water

Combine all and let sit a few minutes. Add meat pieces to coat.

Batter #3 (Low Carb)
Source: http://www.carb-lite.au.com/71SEAFOODSHELLFISH/allrecipes71/chinese_batter_fried_oysters.html
1 cup soy flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup water
1 egg -- beaten
1 tbsp oil

Combine all and let sit a few minutes. Add meat pieces to coat.

Batter #4
Source: http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1637,155181-242200,00.html

1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. salad oil
2/3 c. lukewarm water
1 egg white, stiffly beaten
Combine the first four ingredients and let stand 30-60 minutes. Add the egg whites and blend together gently.

Sprinkle food (fish, chicken, vegetables, etc.) with seasoned flour. Dip into batter, drain excess, and deep fry. You'll be pleased with results.

Batter #5
Source: http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,175,155180-231207,00.html

1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 c. milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil

Beat batter ingredients in bowl with hand beater until smooth. Prepare food to be fried. Thaw frozen foods completely before frying. Dry food completely before dipping into batter.


Batter #6
Source: http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,175,154181-230206,00.html

1 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2/3 c. milk
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. melted butter

Sift flour and measure. Add salt and baking powder. Sift again; add beaten egg yolk, milk, then beaten egg whites and butter.


Batter #7
Source: http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,164,154188-243202,00.html

3/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. water
1 egg, beaten

Mix dry ingredients. Stir in water and egg. Use for fish, or cut up meat, or vegetables

Batter #8
Source: http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,165,154188-243203,00.html

1 c. self-rising flour
1/2 c. milk
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 c. water
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. vinegar

Mix all ingredients together. If too thick, add a little more water. Fry in hot grease.


Batter #9
Source: http://chinesefood.about.com/library/blrecipe010.htm

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon beaten egg plus enough water to make 1/2 cup
1 teaspoon canola, corn, or peanut oil

Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, egg mixture, and oil in a mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is a smooth paste. Set aside.
Dip meat to coat, fry once until light golden brown, remove, drain and cool. You may store (refrigerate) meat this way. Let meat come back to room temperature and fry second time until golden brown.

Batter #10
Source: http://www.cooking.com/recipes/static/recipe1228.htm

1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cornstarch, mixed with enough cold water to form a paste

Mix about three-quarters of the egg into the meat.
Sprinkle in the 1 tablespoon of cornstarch; then, work in a little of the cornstarch paste with the fingers. Add the remaining egg and the remaining cornstarch paste, kneading them into the meat with the fingers.

Batter #11
Source: http://www.cooking.com/recipes/static/recipe1202.htm

3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten

Combine the two flours of the coating ingredients. Lightly dry off the meat with some of the mixed flours. Add the egg yolks, mix through to coat all of the meat, and then roll each piece of the meat into the remaining flours. Set aside on a plate.

Batter #12
Source: http://chinesefood.about.com/library/blrecipe437.htm

1 - 2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tbsp. potato starch*
*Cornstarch can be substituted for the potato starch

Brush the meat pieces with the beaten egg and dip in the potato starch to cover. Deep-fry the dredged meat pieces in batches.

Batter #13
Source: http://www.fishermansexpress.com/oriental-batter.html

2 Eggs, beaten
3/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 cup all-purpose Flour
1/4 cup Cornstarch
1/2 cup Milk

Mix eggs, salt, garlic, flour, cornstarch, and milk to make a smooth batter. Fry dipped pieces in peanut oil until light brown.
Option: Cool fried pieces after frying, then refrigerate, if desired, and later redip in batter, refry until golden brown.

Batter #14
Source: http://www.fishermansexpress.com/Crunchy-Batter.html

2 cups Pancake Mix
juice from one Lemon
1 Egg
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Use white ground pepper- you will get the pepper taste without the black specks in your batter. Mix the above items together in a bowl and thin the mixture with water or milk to get the consistency you like (the thinner the batter the lighter the coating). The egg will make this batter crunchy. One last note, you will find that dusting your meat with flour before battering will help keep the batter on your meat.

Batter #15
Source: http://www.fishermansexpress.com/all-purpose-batter.html
1 cup all-purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 cup Cornstarch
1 cup Water
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Oil

Mix all of the ingredients together and blend until there are no lumps. Dry the meat with a paper towel and dip into the batter.

Batter #16
Source: http://www.fishermansexpress.com/LongJohn-batter.html

Bisquick Mix
Regular Pancake Mix
Club Soda

With wire whisk whip together equal parts bisquick and boxed pancake mix with club soda till it's the consistency of buttermilk. Moisten meat pieces in water and then coat lightly but evenly in flour. Let dry on waxed paper 5 minutes. Coat meat pieces in batter.

Batter #17 (Corn Dog)
Source: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/506/Corn_Dog_Mix61126.shtml

1 cup flour
2/3 cup corn meal
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons shortening

1 egg
2/3 cup milk

Mix all dry ingredients together thoroughly. Store in airtight container.
Combine mix with 1 egg and 2/3 c. milk. Dip meat (hot dogs) into batter, coating thoroughly. Deep fry until batter is browned.

Batter #18
Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_2187,00.html

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
3/4 cup flat beer (or substiture 3/4 cup club soda)
1 1/3 cups flour mixed with 1 teaspoon salt and pinch pepper
2 stiffly beaten egg whites, optional

Combine yolks with oil and beer. Gradually stir this into flour (it should be thick enough to stick to the food) and beat until very smooth with a few swift strokes. Rest batter, covered, in refrigerator for 3 hours at least so it ferments a bit. Get oil to right temperature. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into batter. Dip the meat in the batter and fry.

Batter #19
Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_14230,00.html

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 bottle brown beer, cold
Cornstarch for dredging

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the beer until the batter is completely smooth and free of any lumps. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Note: The batter can be made up to 1 hour ahead of time.
Lightly dredge meat pieces in cornstarch. Working in small batches, dip the meat into batter and immerse into hot oil.


Batter #20
Source: http://seafood.allrecipes.com/az/FishTcs.asp

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup beer (or substitute club soda)

In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Blend egg and beer, then quickly stir into the flour mixture (don't worry about a few lumps).


Batter #21
Source: http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa052600a.htm

1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon hot chili oil (optional)

Beat the egg white and add water. Add flour and cornstarch. Mix the batter thoroughly. Drop the batter into the marinated meat.

Tips for Batter #21
To make it extra crispy, deep-fry the meat twice. This technique is often used in restaurants: staff prepare a batch of fried meat and set it aside. When a customer places an order, a portion is deep-fried again.

To make the meat extra tender, use only cornstarch for the batter (instead of half cornstarch and half flour).

Don't put all of the meat in the wok at once - that will lower the wok temperature. Start with adding about 1/4 of the meat mixture. (If you're new to deep-frying, I have a page of deep-frying tips.)

Mix the batter thoroughly. Test with chopsticks or a wooden spoon - it should just drop without sticking.

fried twinkies anyone?

My research into batter recipes for Chinese cooking this evening produced an interesting article on deep-fried twinkies. For the full article, visit: http://www.sptimes.com/2002/06/26/Taste/The_Twinkie_transform.shtml

Deep-Fried Twinkies
For Twinkies:
6 Twinkies
Popsicle sticks
4 cups vegetable oil
Flour for dusting

For batter:
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Chill or freeze Twinkies for several hours or overnight.

Heat 4 cups vegetable oil in deep fryer to about 375 degrees.

To make batter: Mix together milk, vinegar and oil. In another bowl, blend flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk wet ingredients into dry and continue mixing until smooth. Refrigerate while oil heats.

Push stick into Twinkie lengthwise, leaving about 2 inches to use as a handle, dust with flour and dip into the batter. Rotate Twinkie until batter covers entire cake. Place carefully in hot oil. The Twinkie will float, so hold it under with a utensil to ensure even browing. It should turn golden in 3 to 4 minutes. Depending on the size of your deep fryer, you might be able to fry only one at a time, two at the most.

Remove Twinkie to paper towel and let drain. Remove stick and allow Twinkie to sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 6.

Variation: Slice Twinkie into 4 pieces. Flour and batter each before frying. With this treatment, one Twinkie will serve two people if accompanied by a sauce.

Berry Sauce
1 10-ounce jar of seedless raspberry preserves
1 cup fresh or frozen mixed berries

In a saucepan, heat preserves over low heat until melted. Add 1 cup of fresh or frozen mixed berries. Heat until sauce just simmers. Cover; refrigerate until served.
Makes 1-1/2 cups.

Secrets of Chinese Deep-Frying

(Editor's updates 2009-09-08: I've learned a few things, so I'll be adding some information to clarify).

My quest for the perfect Chinese deep-fried meat is neverending and insatiable. I have not yet been able to replicate the perfect coating to deep fry chicken or beef like I've had in Chinese restaurants. I have tried lots of different approaches. Here are some ideas I have so far.

The goal for my optimum Chinese deep-fry coating would be described as crispy, crunchy and smooth.

Ingredients for Coated Deep Frying
The coating ingredients are some combination of the following dry and wet ingredients

Dry ingredients
starch (cornstarch, water chestnut starch, potato starch, arrowroot starch)
flour (all-purpose or bread flour)
breadcrumbs (regular unseasoned or panko)
baking powder
baking soda
salt

Wet ingredients
beaten eggs (whole eggs or just egg whites)
salt
baking powder
ice water
seltzer water (club soda)
oil
vinegar

Technique
This is where it gets tricky. One thing is for sure: you want to use a lot of oil (at least 2" or so), and you need to make sure your oil is heated to at least 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The rest is "magic" as far as I'm concerned. Here are some possibilities.

1. Coat meat in dry ingredients. Shake off excess; dip meat in beaten egg, then coat in dry ingredients again. Fry.
2. Combine all dry and wet ingredients to make batter (thick or thin). Dip meat in batter & fry.
3. Use method 1 or 2 above. Fry meat at a lower temperature (325-35) for a minute or two, remove & let cool. Then refry at high temp (375-380) for another minute or two. This is a traditional Chinese technique called double-frying. If you do double-fry, the first fry should be short (1 minute or so, it's really just blanching, but using oil) and relatively cool, and the second fry should be both hotter and longer.

You also have the option of re-coating meat using method 1 or 2 above and re-fry.

About Coatings and Batters
Too thick of a batter & the coated food will taste too "bready". Too thin and it may become soggy/greasy and lose its "crunch", especially when sauce is applied. The key here is frying at high temperatures so that as little oil soaks into the batter/meat as possible. What the right thickness to achieve the proper crunch is still escapes me. I do believe Chinese restaurants use some kind of batter. If you look closely at a deep fried piece of meat in a Chinese dish, you'll notice the coating is very even across the item, and is very crunchy, yet it is not too thick.

What the Ingredients Do
Eggs: they act as glue to hold the batter together. Especially if you use beaten egg whites, these will add a lot of "lift" and "puff" to the batter.

Baking Powder/Baking Soda: adds lift, albeit through a chemical reaction with the flour. I've seen this in some recipes, but it's not that widespread. Which should you use, baking soda or baking powder? Baking soda uses acid in the liquid to produce leavening; whereas baking powder (which is usually double-acting baking powder) includes baking soda and dry acids (one of which is likely cream of tartar) which will not only produce leavening via heat but also via contact with liquid acid. Baking soda will tend to taste sour, and baking powder tastes more neutral. Perhaps a 50/50 combo? The sourness of the baking soda might help in a batter which is being used in a sweet-flavor dish, such as orange chicken. Otherwise, probably err on the side of baking powder, I would think.

Starch/Flour. The basis of the coating, in all cases. Some people like plain cornstarch, some people like 3-to-1 ratio of Cornstarch to Flour. By themselves, flour & starch have "stickiness" properties when wetted that enable them to hold together in a mass, as in a batter. Starch will taste lighter than flour, because it is finer. If you coat meat in flour/starch before dipping in a batter, the flour/starch will help create a "pocket" of air between the meat and the coating, if you like this sort of thing. I personally like the batter to stick closely to the meat, but to be crispy, crunchy and smooth.

Water. Should be cold (ice water preferred). If your local water is bad, try bottled water. Some people use cold seltzer water (club soda), because it adds additional lift and lightness, kind of like the way beer does in a beer batter.

Salt: really the salt is only for enhancing the flavor of the batter. For each cup of flour/cornstarch, you should use about 2 tsp of table salt. Be aware that the more salt comes in contact with the oil, it will tend to cause the oil to degrade more quickly.

Oil: adds depth of flavor & richness, also helps smooth out a batter.

Vinegar: I've seen this in some recipes; this is most useful when used in recipes with baking soda or baking powder. When they combine, they create a gas effect that can help create lift.

If you find something that works really well for you, post a comment!

A Note About Oil

• Vegetable oil, canola oil, or corn oil should be used, because it has a high smoke point. Olive oils just won't cut it. Veg/canola oils have a lighter, cleaner flavor; corn oil has a slightly sweeter flavor.
• Oil can (and should!) be re-used. Only time it shouldn't is if you fry some really stinky fish. Even fish that's battered (as long as it's well battered and mild) won't flavor the oil. In general, save fish frying for the end of your fry process!
• Strain used oil through a few layers of cheesecloth in a fine mesh strainer or chinois.
• Store in a clean glass container (like a Mason jar or a bottle), and refrigerate.
• Shortening and lard can be re-used in the same way, if you work with it while it's warm.

Recipes
Here are some possible recipes to experiment with deep-frying techniques in Chinese cooking:
Szechuan Dry-Fried Beef: http://www.cooking.com/recipes/static/recipe1228.htm
Sweet and Sour Pork: http://www.cooking.com/recipes/static/recipe1202.htm
Cantonese Sweet & Sour Pork: http://chinesefood.about.com/library/blrecipe010.htm
Sweet & Sour Chicken: http://chinesefood.about.com/library/blrecipe437.htm

Other Chinese Recipes to Try:
How about Beef and Broccoli? Try this one: http://chinesefood.about.com/od/beef/r/beefbroccoli.htm
Making your own Chinese chili paste can be an adventure. Try it with this recipe here:
http://www.cooking.com/recipes/static/recipe5179.htm
Also, one of my favorites with any Chinese meal is Hot and Sour soup. Try this recipe here:
http://www.cooking.com/recipes/static/recipe1178.htm

french fries & freedom

I think the whole thing with "freedom fries" was ricidulous when the French protested going to Iraq, as ridiculous as saurkraut was called "liberty cabbage" during World War II. Thank goodness that whole naming nonsense is over, too bad the war is not, because war sucks.

Anyway, a few years ago my mom & I were vacationing in Desert Hot Springs when we met an old friend of hers for dinner at the Capri restaurant. Turns out he was the owner of a Fatburger restaurant in Palm Springs (by the Palm Springs Airport), and had worked in food service/restaurant management for many years. Somehow we got to talking about french fries, and he divulged an excellent tip, for which I am forever grateful.

Normally, if you just fry potatoes in hot oil, they tend to take on a lot of oil, even if the oil is hot. Hence the result is a french fry that tastes like the kind you get at In-N-Out Burger: very "potatoey" but kind of oily and soggy. Then, if you go to Burger King, McDougals or another burger franchise you will get a fry which is exceedingly crispy on the outside and tender and chewy on the inside. I prefer the second kind, so this tip is very handy.

Here's the tip: before deep frying your french fries, blanch them in a big pot of boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Drain the fries, pat them dry with towels, and then deep fry as usualy. You will find you have a fry that is much more crunchy on the outside yet fully cooked & chewy in the middle. You will note that many franchise actually pre-cook their fries in a factory, freeze & package them, and then re-fry them in the restaurant. This will give an even crispier outside coating. Enjoy!

Incidentally, always fry in oil that is at least 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius); it's best to push the oil towards 375 degrees, although on most oils, anything much higher than 375 deg. F. (190 deg. Celsius) will cause the oil to start breaking down, i.e., burning. Don't deep fry in oils such as olive oil, they have a much lower burning/smoking point, and you won't be able to get them hot enough to fry successfully. Corn oil or canola oil are good for deep frying. I personally prefer Mazola corn oil; it tastes very clean and smooth to my palate, although not as "flavor free" as canola oil.

spice essentials

stock up your kitchen with some dried spices & flavoring essentials:

paprika
chili powder
curry powder
cumin
cayenne pepper
red chili flakes
whole black pepper
white pepper
thyme
oregano
basil
garlic powder
onion powder
marjoram
tarragon
dried mustard (not hot chinese stuff)
kosher salt
whole coriander
ground ginger

If you have some space & can start a small indoor or outdoor garden, do it! I recommend growing:

thyme
rosemary
oregano
basil
parsley (italian flat-leaf preferably)
cilantro
sage

kitchen essentials--part one

OK, I figured I should start a kitchen essentials post to get a solid list together on kitchen minimums. I figure you can find many similar lists online & in cookbooks, but hey, I'll throw my chef's knife into the ring too! This is really a list for people who aspire to start cooking more seriously.

1. Good quality chef's knife or santoku knife. Anywhere between 7" - 10" blade should be sufficient. Spend some money on this, $50-100. With some care it will last you a lifetime, and will not let you down. Spend a few dollars more and get a sharpening steel to keep things cutting sharp. With some care you can do almost anything with this knife.

3. Cutting Board. I found some great, large cutting boards at IKEA for a fraction of what you would pay at a "gourmet" store or a hardware store. Something 36" long x 24" wide would be good. Get a smaller cutting board (9" x 12") too, handy for side projects.

3. A 12" cast iron skillet. Will work as a saute pan or for stir frys. Holds heat incredibly well, and will last your entire lifetime with good care.

4. Pots and pans. I recommend stainless steel, it'll last longer than Teflon although not as easy to clean. Get one big pot for boiling pasta & making soups/stocks, and 2-3 small saucepans for sauces, vegetables, etc.

5. Pepper mill. Fresh ground pepper tasted so much better. Buy a sturdy wood one, looks classy and will last a long time.

6. Utensils: a nice inclusive kit is the OXO Softworks kit. Comfortable to use & handle, built to last. You'll need at least 2 spatulas, 2 big spoons, a grater, a whisk, a vegetable peeler, a can opener, and a bottle opener.

7. Canning Jars. Ball Wide-Mouth canning jars are a cheap and cost effective solution to storing spices, oils and other ingredients in an airtight environment. I like the pint jars for spices & vinegars, the quart jars for oils & dry goods. Jamie Oliver (the Naked Chef) nails the jar lids and screwtops to the bottom of the cupboards in his kitchen, and screws the spice-laden jars into the lids when he's done using them...see, handy!

8. Digital Instant Read Thermometer. Polder makes one that goes up to over 400 degrees F, making the thermometer usable even for checking the temperature of oil for deep frying. Important for checking the temperature of meats to ensure doneness, especially chickens, turkeys and roasts.

Of course, this list hasn't talked at all about baking or other specialty tools you might need. So I guess that's enough for now.

living with the griswolds

I bought a Griswold #8 cast iron pan on Ebay a week or so ago, and it arrived in the mail two days ago. I was actually surprised at how light it was. Nevertheless, in pretty good shape, very minimum rust, which I scrubbed off before seasoning the pan.

I used it to make my Asian-style Spicy Pulled Pork Sandwiches today. I must say that cast iron holds heat very well, cooks evenly, and when it is well seasoned, it really is non-stick! With shipping this antique cast iron pan cost me around $20, about the same as I would pay for a new 11" Lodge cast iron pan at Target. Not to mention it's antique, is potentially collectible, has its own cooking history and will last me probably my entire lifetime. No disrespect to Lodge...just checked out their web site: they have some great products!

mmm...toasted...

I hate Quizno's subs, but their slogan fits, because I have found a brand of great tasting toasted sesame oil.

Spectrum Organics makes a Toasted Organic Unrefined sesame oil which is the best I've ever tasted. I've never tried the Kadoya brand (which I've heard is supposed to be good), but most of the toasted sesame oil I've found in supermarkets in the Asian foods section tastes either burnt or rancid. Shirakiku brand I found to be awful.

Anyway, I bought some of this a week or two ago at Lassen's Health Foods in Camarillo. It wasn't cheap ($4.39 for an 8oz bottle) but worth it. It still has a slight toasted, smoky flavor but tastes very clean and smooth to my palate, not burnt or rancid. It'd be nice if they sold their product online somewhere.

But back to subs...I find Togo's to make the best sandwiches. I love their pastrami sandwich on wheat: the bread is tasty, lots of pastrami, a nice kick with some pepperoncinis, and maybe a bad of Mrs. Vickie's Salt & Vinegar potato chips. One unfortunate policy of Togo's is weighing their sandwiches when they add meat. I like it when the sandwich makers are more flexible, makes for a better tasting sandwich, even if it cuts into the bottom line somewhat.

My cousin used to work for Togos, and did tell me about another unfortunate policy several years ago where the management would require employees to throw out meats like pastrami at the end of the day into the trash, even though it was perfectly edible. My cousin even told me that the managers would watch the employees throw it in the trash, so they wouldn't take it home. That's just so wasteful: why not let the employees eat, or at least make the leftover food available to homeless shelters? How sad. Regardless of their policies, I still think Togo's sandwiches taste so much better than Subway or Quigglers, I mean Quizzy's...what? I mean Quizno's.

variations on a theme from hog

Just got finished with dinner, which was tasty. I had some leftover frozen pulled pork from a few weeks ago, and I decided to make some Asian-style pulled pork sandwiches in the style of Barbara Tropp's Wonton Burgers. So here was my own take. No salt necessary here, the pulled pork is salty enough, especially with the added soy sauce.

Spicy Asian Pulled Pork Sandwich
Makes 4 Sandwiches

2 cups leftover cooked pulled pork
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced
3 tbsp garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 tbsp hoisin sauce
4 tbsp Serrano-Lemongrass vinegar (or unseasonsed rice vinegar)
1 tbsp hot chili oil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
Optional: 1 tbsp dry sherry or chinese rice wine

4 french bread rolls (preferred) or hamburger buns
2 large carrots, sliced at a diagonal to produce large chips

Heat olive oil and chili oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Stir fry green onions, ginger, and garlic for 30 seconds. Add pulled pork and heat through, about 3-5 minutes. Combine sesame oil, vinegar, chicken stock and optional wine and add to pork mixture. Heat mixture through 1-2 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat, and serve pork on warm french bread rolls with fresh carrot chips.

Yum! There were no leftovers tonight. My girl liked them too, and she can be picky!

Serrano-Lemongrass Vinegar (from Barbara Tropp's China Moon Cookbook)
3 c Rice Vinegar; see note
1/2 c Ginger; see note
1 lg stalk fresh lemongrass; see note
6 Serrano chilies; see note

Notes:
A: Japanese Unseasoned Rice vinegar, Marukan with the green label or Mitsukan.
B: Ginger, quarter-size thin coins, smashed.
C: Lemon grass, pounded, then cut into finger lengths, 3 inches. Easiest just to smash lemongrass with the butt-end of a knife.
D: Green or Red Serranos, tipped and halved

Combine all of the ingredients in a non-aluminum pot, then bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Remove the pot from the heat and let stand until cool.

Store the mixture in a clean glass jar. If you wish, you may strain out the solids before storing, but do not press down on them while doing so. Another alternative is to leave only the chilies in the jar for color. The vinegar may cloud, but its flavor will not be affected.

thoughts of yesterday's pizza

no exciting food today. two packets of apple-cinnamon oatmeal & an energy bar. I've quit eating breakfast & lunch, as I like to work out on an empty stomach at lunch time (been doing that for around the past 3-4 weeks). It's nice, it gives me an energy boost during the day, and working out on an empty stomach helps me loose weight more quickly.

Last night had a few slices of Papa John's pizza. I really like their crust, and I think they are the tastiest chain-delivery pizza franchise. Franchises aside, I do like Tower Pizza in Westchester, CA (although a bit greasy); Wildflour Pizza (in Santa Monica, CA, excellent all-around); and Beach Pizza (in Playa Del Rey, CA, excellent as well).